F5000 Fever

A resounding group of F5000 cars sang at full volume in memory of Henry Hope-Frost at Goodwood

A unique part of every Members’ Meeting weekend is the inclusion of two high-speed demonstration sessions. Carefully themed to bring added breadth and variety to the on-track action, previous demos have featured GT1 cars, SuperTourers, Group 5 Sports Cars and ground-effect F1 cars. This year featured Group 5 Special Production cars and thunderous F5000 single-seaters, the latter of which were gathered at Goodwood to mark the 50th anniversary of the cult formula’s inception.

Being a particularly jammy individual I managed to bag a ride in Simon Hadfield’s gorgeous Lola T330, though the last-minute nature of the deal meant the run would be the first time I’d sat in the car. And then it snowed…

Did I care that I never got to drive? Honestly, no not really. Largely because the prospect of attempting to hang-on to a slick-shod and totally unfamiliar F5000 car on a wet and near-freezing track had my bottom twitching like a rabbit’s nose, but also because the F5000 cars were serving a greater purpose: namely to gather in the assembly area and make a “minute of Fever” (noise) in memory of Henry Hope-Frost. Even with the muffling effects of earplugs and a crash helmet I know we him proud.

As for my tantalising, but ultimately unfulfilled encounter with an F5000 car, all is not lost. If we can get the planets to align, Hadfield has offered to bring a selection of his extensive collection of F5000 cars to Donington for us to drive. It promises to be quite a day. #Fever indeed.

If you’ve enjoyed Henry Hope-Frost’s work over the years, may we politely steer you towards the donation page raising money for his wife and three young sons. Head to justgiving.com. Thank you.